Index

Thursday, January 19, 2017

"Maputaland stands at the cross roads. It's unspoiled Golden Beaches have witnessed the ancient annual ritual of turtle breeding since time immemorial."

Now this word candy continues for pages on end. Also the referring to this area as a wonder.

So the name change is very befitting from Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park to iSimangaliso Wetlands Park, but that was before World Heritage Status. In 2012 it was Scientifically proven that this splendour was lost.

Today the tree canopy that hid humans from the Turtle Breeding Beaches has been destroyed by light pollution. Something nobody is taking notice of as the hunger for glamour destroying this wonderful Heritage through Hubarism.

The newly founded CTO helplessly captured and dragging St Lucia Estuary, the town, away from the majestical ambiance that it was forged in over generations. People's might proving to be the only measurement that progress has to adhere to.

Thursday, January 12, 2017

iSimangaliso Wetlands Park

Andrew Zaloumis

St Lucia Estuary Drought

The Price of Greed

This is the lies abuse and bully tactics we, the public, has to endure in a effort to safe our beautiful pristine Greater St Lucia Wetlands System. Today my blood is boiling because very powerful people keep on putting me down ... I wanted to tell my story to a Court of Law, but Andrew is to yellow bellied to take me on a third time. Clearly he now knows what I am up to ... So by the power vested in me I will expose him and Mike Bower for defrauding the public from their rightful inheritance and rights to this World Heritage Site.

Mike BouwerIt's spelled save.......... UNESCO is the body who declared it a World Heritage Site and use it worldwide as an example of sustainable management which includes local communities, so sending a petition to them when it is them who audit the Park seems a bit odd. It's also The iSimangaliso Wetland Park, not the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park. It was renamed when it became the first World Heritage Site in South Africa and was signed into law by Nelson Mandela. "Nature at it's best. Untouched." hmmmm...Except for 19 disparate parcels of land under land claims, 18,000 ha of gum plantations, destroyed wetlands bisected with forestry roads and levies, the legacy of a failed dredging attempt with an estuary mouth hardened with concrete, the threat of mining and cattle herding on the eastern and western shores, and thousands of hectares of alien plants. Oh, and, no buffalo, elephant, lion, wild dog, or cheetah. No coherent road system, no formalized day visitor sites, no water for animals during drought conditions, no thriving tour boat industry, no thriving game drives or turtle tours, no increase of 4,000 related jobs. And so on........ So I guess you are right! It is safe! Thank you for pointing that out to us!

Firstly Mike employing security companies to take over jobs is not job creation. It is purely employing someone out of the region that was done by people from within the region. So how many jobs did you guys really create and how many was merely replaced and how many was destroyed?

But let us get down to the facts at hand because this will end here even if it does not end well.

Killing For Money

Estuarine ecologist Nicky Forbes holds up the remains of a barracuda found on the bed of the St Lucia estuary this week. Picture: Amanda Watson

As the carcasses of fish and shells show, little survives these conditions. iSimangiliso Wetland Park CEO Andrew Zaloumis said an initial spend of R10 million – courtesy of grant money from the Global Environmental Facility and the World Bank – will see nearly 100 000 cubic metres of nearly 65 years’ worth of dredging, dumped into the estuary to close off the feed from the uMfolozi, reduced to slurry and pumped back into the ocean by Cyclone Engineering Projects.

After the initial work, there’s another R20 million to continue if the progress is good and the work done to specifications, Zaloumis says. It is key to remember the St Lucia estuarine system bed is below sea level, which means once opened, the uMfolozi River will continue to obey physics by flowing from a high point to a low point.

Good news from the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority is that the World Bank has invested additional funds to restore Africa’s largest estuarine lake.

Last week, the authority signed two new contracts, valued at R23.41 million each, with T&T Marine (Pty) Ltd and Scribante Africa Mining (Pty) Ltd. Both contracts will run until the end of June and are for the loading, hauling, tipping and disposal of material obstructing the natural flow of the uMfolozi River in the mouth area of the Lake St Lucia Estuary.

This is on top of the 1999 US$9 500 000.00 for the same project. Just to point out. Andrew instructed the manual closure of St Lucia Estuary mouth in 2000 and 2007. This after it has natuary breached. Bull shit baffels brains they say. How stupid can any individual be to prey on my Dyslexia and cheer this death and destruction ...

We all grew up next to a functioning Estuary and know what life was flourishing in the system. How vibrant the shallow waters were at dusk and dawn. We remember the lovely open space that we could all enjoy. Nature at it's best.…

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

We all grew up next to a functioning Estuary and know what life was flourishing in the system. How vibrant the shallow waters were at dusk and dawn. We remember the lovely open space that we could all enjoy. Nature at it's best.…

SECURE.AVAAZ.ORG

Mike BouwerIt's spelled save.......... UNESCO is the body who declared it a World Heritage Site and use it worldwide as an example of sustainable management which includes local communities, so sending a petition to them when it is them who audit the Park seems a bit odd. It's also The iSimangaliso Wetland Park, not the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park. It was renamed when it became the first World Heritage Site in South Africa and was signed into law by Nelson Mandela. "Nature at it's best. Untouched." hmmmm...Except for 19 disparate parcels of land under land claims, 18,000 ha of gum plantations, destroyed wetlands bisected with forestry roads and levies, the legacy of a failed dredging attempt with an estuary mouth hardened with concrete, the threat of mining and cattle herding on the eastern and western shores, and thousands of hectares of alien plants. Oh, and, no buffalo, elephant, lion, wild dog, or cheetah. No coherent road system, no formalized day visitor sites, no water for animals during drought conditions, no thriving tour boat industry, no thriving game drives or turtle tours, no increase of 4,000 related jobs. And so on........ So I guess you are right! It is safe! Thank you for pointing that out to us!

As far as public participation goes Mike... It is non existent... So we have to rely on what ever Andrew published when ever he publish it... The park is not running on Self generated funds...

Let us talk about the Gate at Cape Gidal. Why is a security company implemented that is doin a job that was well deserving to being run by Ezemvelo and why is there so many locals upset that the jobs is not filled with local job seekers.

Oh and why did a security company with camo uniforms man the alcohol control points this festive season.

A security gaurd has nomore rights than a civilian... Why do you use people in camo uniform to intimidate public on summer holidays with their families...

Petrus ViviersWe have lost more than a this d or maybe more of parking spqfe on Main Beach, Jabula beach and this season The Estuary beach entrance was so badly maintained that park authority had a sign up restricting acces to The Estuary Mouth Parking...

Greg OgilvieBoth sides have points but I have to agree with Petrus, the lack of transparency on isimangliso's side is wrong. The estuary has been destroyed, not because of the drought entirely. St Lucia used to full of locals but now is full of foreigners! The whole vibe has been anialated. It feels now like a tourist trap! I can't help but feel the locals are not welcome anymore as foreign tourism is pushed very strongly.

Mike BouwerPetrus if you are going to make statements please back them up. You have not answered these yet before we move forward. Petrus, tell us about these donations Andrew is supposed to have used? Tell me how Andrew controls the SABC?

Petrus ViviersAny way ... while we on the subject and you don't want to close it down ... let us review your posting regarding hyena's ... have you paid compensation for the attack/attacks at Cape Vidal?

Petrus ViviersRegarding the Hippo in St Lucia. I on, several occasions, brought it under iSimangaliso's attention that the bull was out of control and human incident where unavoidable ... have you paid compensation to the Ezemvelo Employee that is now wheelchair bound ... ?